Doesn’t work as expectation: The effects of employees’ feeling trusted asymmetry on work group and individual outcomes

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of “feeling trusted asymmetry” on work group performance and individual outcomes. The author adopts the term “feeling trusted asymmetry” to differentiate the subject from studies of trust asymmetry that consider differences in (mutual) ratings of trust between members of a dyad.

Design/methodology/approach

The author tested this effectiveness with data from a sample of 293 subordinate–supervisor dyads in 63 work groups from the People’s Republic of China.

Findings

Results of multilevel analysis reveal that group feeling trusted asymmetry (the degree to which subordinates differ in perceptions of the level of trust from their immediate manager in their group) lowers group performance. Furthermore, individual feeling trusted asymmetry (a subordinate perceiving more or less trust from their immediate manager than other subordinates in the group) affects employees’ workplace satisfaction, but not individual performance and creativity.

Originality/value

These findings have important practical implications, as they provide companies with a feasible way to manage employee’s relations based on their perception of trust from the direct supervisor.

Citation

Wang, H. (2021), "Doesn’t work as expectation: The effects of employees’ feeling trusted asymmetry on work group and individual outcomes", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 271-292. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-01-2017-0003